Mohammed Hamed Ahmed Soliman

• Master in Quality Management, BSc Engineering
• Lecturer at American University in Cairo

Taking care of electrical equipment needs a lot of thinking ahead and checking regularly. You can only find problems early if you regularly check things. A careful team of workers can find machine problems by using their senses. They can smell burning insulation, feel excessive heat in bearings, hear strange sounds or vibrations, and see mechanical...

Maintaining equipment is not just about fixing it when it breaks. It's about working hard to make sure it runs well all the time. This means that even when the equipment is working well, maintenance workers are still finding ways to improve it to make sure it keeps running smoothly. This book aims to explain the best ways to do work that is usuall...

Toyota doesn't just make high-quality products; they also have a process for making sure everything they do is high-quality. Next time you want to say Toyota isn't that great, think about how their way of doing things could help you make better quality products. Reliability is about having a product or service that can be trusted is really importa...

Value-stream mapping or process mapping is drawing a picture of all the parts and information that are needed to make and deliver a product. It is an important tool used to make things better by finding and getting rid of waste. Toyota created a tool called a material and information flow diagram, which is very important for their production system...

First Chapter is about hoshin kanri. Lean strategy deployment is still an emerging research topic addressed by only a limited number of references. Some of these references have explained Hoshin Kanri as a tool for strategic management and planning to achieve the goals and they explain how the method aligns corporate strategic objectives as defined...

Toyota Motor Corporation made a system to make good products, save money, and make things faster by using less waste. TPS has two main parts, just-in-time and jidoka. It is often shown as a "house" image. To improve TPS and keep it running well, we use a process called PDCA or the scientific method. We do this by doing the same tasks over and over...

Poka-yoke is a Japanese word that means "error-proofing". It involves using simple and cheap tools to help workers avoid making mistakes in their work. These devices prevent errors like using the wrong parts, forgetting to put in a part, or installing a part the wrong way. In simpler words, in Japanese, "poka" means making a mistake by accident, an...

To make it easier for people to see how their improvements fit into the bigger picture, it's important to have a clear vision and purpose as part of the lean strategy and strategic plan. People should have knowledge about their intended destination. They want to know where you are heading.

The act of changing a line or machine from making one product to making another is called changeover. Changeover is when we switch from making one product (product A) to making a different product (product B). This involves getting the machines ready and getting everything prepared for the new process. It is considered a waste of time because you a...

Yes, people called Toyota Production system an inventory reduction program when they first heard of it. “Just in time” is one of the main pillars in the TPS. “Just in time” ideally means “one-piece flow.” Inventory is the greatest waste in the process, and it hides many problems, such as quality problems, breakdown times, waiting waste, and more. L...

One-piece flow, also known as continuous flow, describes how items are efficiently moved from one stage of the process to the next by designing the workflow around the requirements of the product. To get from point A to point B is the objective. Any waste or halt in production is equivalent to the stones and dams that direct the flow of water. We e...

Heijunka (Japanese for "production smoothing or levelling"): It is a technique used to smooth out production in all departments as well as that of the supplier over time in order to facilitate Just-In-Time (JIT) production. It means production levelling (finding and maintaining average production volumes). The fundamental goal of using the Heijunka...

By minimizing waste and waiting times, the lean operational concepts and techniques serve to maximize value for patients. It places a strong emphasis on staff involvement, ongoing improvement, and consideration of the demands of the consumer.. All employees of the firm, from clinicians to operations and administrative personnel, continuously work t...

Some businesses have reduced staff and made resource cuts to survive the global economic downturn, while others have improved business practices and culture. Unfortunately, there is still a difference between successful and less successful businesses in terms of culture adaptability, people management, and process management. In organizations like...

In order to cut costs during the economic downturn, many businesses are implementing abstinence policies. This could mean laying off workers and cutting some wages. In fact, those actions might only work for a short time.Unless the company implements a culture of continuous improvement and alters its method of operation, the situation may recur and...

A Failure Mode and Effect Analysis FMEA is a systematic method for identifying and preventing product and process problems before they occur. FMEAs are focused on preventing defects, enhancing safety and increasing customer satisfaction. FMEAs are conducted in the product design or process development stages, although conducting an FMEA on existing...

Having no standardization work process means no quality. Everyone will do this task differently. Tracking the source of errors is difficult without the work standard. When a leader perform gemba walk on shop floor to observe the situation, there is no benefit from the walk when there is no standard. In the classic old way of management, companies w...

Numerous organizations are grumbling that lean didn't accomplish their long-term business objectives, and the improvement sway was fleeting. 7 out of every 10 lean ventures fall flat as organizations attempt to utilize lean like a toolbox, copying the procedures without attempting to adjust the individual's culture and their way of doing things, de...

Takt time, Cycle time, One-piece flow, Hejunka. This Report is a Part of the Published Book "Takt Time: A Guide to the Very Basic Lean Calculation" All rights reserved.

Predictive Maintenance strategy employs vibration analysis, thermography analysis, ultrasound analysis, oil analysis and other techniques to improve machine reliability. The goal of the strategy is to provide the stated function of the facility, with the required reliability and availability at the lowest cost.

Mistakenly, many people think plan-do-check-act (PDCA) is a continuous improvement cycle, even if they neglect the human part. PDCA does aim to improve the process, but if you have only improved the process without developing and teaching your people, you have put the process at risk of slipping back.

One of lean manufacturing’s most important calculations is takt time, or the rate of customer demand for a group or family of products produced by one process. This book provide quick guide for Takt Time calculation, machine Cycle Time and One-Piece Flow Cell.

Jidoka is one of the main pillars of the TPS. The TPS is presented as a house with two pillars. One pillar represents just-in-time (JIT), and the other pillar the concept of Jidoka. Take away any of the pillars holding up the roof, and the entire system will collapse. Take out quality, and there is no TPS. Jidoka is a principle of building quality...

Vibration Analysis should present 50% of any condition monitoring program. This book include a practical guide to vibration analysis to prepare practitioners for levels I II & III to become certified analyst. Numerous examples with photos are included to present how to detect different types of equipment failure: bearing, shafts misalignment, unbal...

Gemba is a Japanese word meaning the actual place where value-creating work happens. Many leaders use gemba only for solving problems, visiting only when there is an issue. Others practice gemba walks on a daily basis to follow up and monitor the situation. However, Toyota believes that leaders truly develop through daily experiences at the gemba....

For decades, production has relied on the old principle mass production invented by Henry Ford where parts are being produced in batches and pushed to the market hoping for a customer to buy. Things are based on forecasting and sales were too optimistic. This system disconnects the factory from the customer. The factory is producing only to a forec...

Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) was initiated by the aerospace industry in the 1960s to improve the reliability of systems. It is a part of total quality management programs and should be used to prevent potential failures that could affect safety, production, cost or customer satisfaction. FMEA can be used during the design, service or man...

Lean thinking is a set of concepts, strategies, principles, values and tools used to create and deliver the most value from the customer perspective while consuming the fewest resources and fully utilizing the knowledge and skills of people performing the work. If you visit Toyota assembly plants you can see how Toyota has put all the systems and s...

5S is not just about a clean and shiny workplace. Its a strategy for removing wastes and improving productivity. This is how Toyota utilize the tool to improve workplace productivity. This book provide a comprehensive guide about the tool. How to plan, execute and sustain. This book is a practical guide with many examples, photos and presentations.

Brainstorming is a conceptualizing technique that is a notable strategy for creating countless thoughts in a brief timeframe period. It fills in as an instrument for recognizing issues and causes. This book contains a comprehensive guide on the tool, including the requirements, considerations, and how to completely manage the session to get the de...

For the past decades, financial folks relied on old principles, techniques and theories in determining the performance of the companies and give feed backs to the executives and CEOs so they can make the necessary improvement and take decisions. The CEO wants help finding the resources to fund a new project; he wants to know where we can improve co...

Purpose The motivation behind this article is to provide a lot of rules to be utilized in lean strategy standards and instruments in modern associations. This article expects to feature the pretended by lean strategy technique for vital strategic planning and management, especially in reference to the Hoshin Kanri strategy deployment system. This a...

Ultrasound should be a part of any condition monitoring program. It has wide range of applications and the tool is very handy and easy to use. This book presents the different applications of Ultrasound Detection technique.

This book contains over hundred of photos taken for several industrial equipment from several plants: fertilizer, chemical, and crystal-glass making that will help the practitioners identify different types of failures for different types of equipment including pumps, compressors, transformers, engines, motors,...etc. The book also have examples of...

Oil analysis is a long-term program that, where relevant, can eventually be more predictive than any of the other technologies. It can take years for a plant's oil program to reach this level of sophistication and effectiveness. This book includes what all practitioners need to know to build an oil analysis program for their machine inspection. Thi...

Overall equipment efficiency (OEE) is a total productive maintenance (TPM) module; machine capacity is a part of all three terms: availability, performance, and quality. Each term present numerous improvement opportunities.

For the past decades, financial folks relied on old principles, techniques and theories in determining the performance of the companies and give feed backs to the executives and CEOs so they can make the necessary improvement and take decisions. The CEO wants help finding the resources to fund a new project; he wants to know where we can improve co...

For the past decades, financial folks relied on old principles, techniques and theories in determining the performance of the companies and give feed backs to the executives and CEOs so they can make the necessary improvement and take decisions. The CEO wants help finding the resources to fund a new project; he wants to know where we can improve co...

Trucks are not as important as patients, but through the Toyota Production System and lean principles, car manufacturers often put far more effort into supporting their front-line staff than many hospitals. This is a shame, because properly applied, lean tools like work standardization, 5S, visualization and kanban can deliver great results in the...

Toyota Production System house has standardization work as one of its foundations. Without standardization, all of your nurses, technicians, physicians and administrative staff will perform tasks differently. This makes tracking the source of errors difficult. When leaders perform the traditional gemba walk to observe the situation, there is no ben...

This article is a part of the original publication “Healthcare is Ripe for Lean” to cite it please use: Soliman, M.H.A. 2018. Healthcare is Ripe for Lean. Industrial Management, Vol. 60(1): 25-30. Or: Soliman M.H.A. 2017. Lean Healthcare Principles. Unpublished.

Waste removal increases the profitability of any business. Processes are classified into value added and non-value added. The seven deadly wastes that could exist in any manufacturing process originated in Japan and are defined in the Toyota production system (TPS). The main goal became removing them. For each waste, there is a strategy to remove o...

The purpose of this paper is to present the core variables derived from literature that contributes to the failure of continuous improvement (CI) programs in the Egyptian manufacturing industry. The approach used is to find the previous literature reviews of the problem, group the variables affecting the problem , develop the research model and the...

Jidoka is one of the main pillars of the Toyota Production System TPS. The TPS is presented as a house with two pillars. One pillar represents just-in-time (JIT), and the other pillar the concept of Jidoka. Take away any of the pillars holding up the roof, and the entire system will collapse. Take out quality, and there is no TPS. Jidoka is a princ...

Hoshin Kanri has been used successfully by Toyota and other top-tier companies in Japan and the United States to achieve strategic business and lean goals. The underlying power of a successful hoshin kanri process relays on how Toyota creates an environment of continuous improvement. Toyota is a strong business because of its people, and people are...

Throughout the years, lean leaders have become experts at improving processes. But in most cases, that’s only a half-step. True lean leadership involves coaching and training your people so the improved process doesn’t slip back from the ideal state, and the plan-do-check-act cycle is a remarkable tool for teaching.

Mistakenly, many people think plan-do-check-act (PDCA) is a continuous improvement cycle, even if they neglect the human part. PDCA does aim to improve the process, but if you have only improved the process without developing and teaching your people, you have put the process at risk of slipping back. People must be trained in the culture of contin...

Many people don’t understand the DNA of the Toyota Production System and the core values of the Toyota Way. I have seen many who think about the TPS as a tool kit or lean manufacturing techniques that only work with Toyota because Toyota has a different process, a stable environment, or less fluctuation in customer demand. Others believe the TPS wo...

To overcome the global recession, some companies have cut resources and laid off workers, while others adopted better strategies to improve processes and change culture. Unfortunately, there remains a gap between successful and less successful companies in terms of process management, people management and the adaptability of culture. Culture drive...

For the past decades, financial folks relied on old principles, techniques and theories in determining the performance of the companies and give feed backs to the executives and CEOs so they can make the necessary improvement and take decisions. The CEO wants help finding the resources to fund a new project; he wants to know where we can improve co...

Waste removal increases the profitability of any business. Processes are classified into value added and waste. The seven deadly wastes that could exist in any manufacturing process originated in Japan and are defined in the Toyota production system (TPS). The main goal became removing them. For each waste, there is a strategy to remove or eliminat...

Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) was initiated by the aerospace industry in the 1960s to improve the reliability of systems. It is a part of total quality management programs and should be used to prevent potential failures that could affect safety, production, cost or customer satisfaction. FMEA can be used during the design, service or ma...

Gemba is a Japanese word meaning the actual place where value-creating work happens. Many leaders use gemba only for solving problems, visiting only when there is an issue. Others practice gemba walks on a daily basis to follow up and monitor the situation. However, Toyota believes that leaders truly develop through daily experiences at the gemba....

Overall equipment effiiency (OEE) measures the ratio of how much of a product or part is being made defect-free versus how much could be made according to the equipment’s design. A machine or process that has an OEE of 100 percent is producing at its maximum designed capacity with zero defects. Three metrics – availability, performance and quality...

Many companies are complaining that lean didn’t achieve their long-term goals, and the improvement impact was very short-lived. 7 out of each 10 lean projects fail as companies try to use lean like a toolkit, copying and pasting the techniques without trying to adapt the employee’s culture, manage the improvement process, sustain the results, and d...